Utica, NY (2/12/15)- The Utica College women's hockey team faces a tough test this weekend as it travels to nationally ranked No. 2 Plattsburgh State for a pair of ECAC West Conference games. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers are fresh off a 5-0 win over SUNY Canton on Tuesday in their third annual Gold Ribbon Game for childhood cancer awareness… Sophomore
Gabrielle Schnepp (Northville, MI/Belle Tire) and junior
Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy) each had a goal and two assists, while
Gabrielle Abbott (Scottsdale, AZ/St. Marks) turned aside all 12 shots she faced for her first career shutout… During the game, the Pioneers were able to raise $3,000 for the Shawn Grady Fund to help ease the medical costs of a local child who is fighting cancer.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Utica (8-8-4) is currently fourth in the ECAC West Conference standings with a 6-5-3 mark in league play… Following this weekend, the Pioneers wrap up the regular season at Buffalo State, which is currently just one point behind Utica in the conference standings.
STILL "GOIN" STRONG: Sophomore
Keira Goin (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Hotchkiss School) allowed just four goals in three games last week… On Tuesday, she turned aside 26-of-27 shots in a 1-0 loss to Oswego… She followed that up with a 20-save shutout over Chatham on Friday… Goin capped off the week with 25 saves in a 4-3 win over the Cougars… On the season, she has compiled a .924 save percentage and 1.93 goals against average.
BANNER YEAR: Senior
Samantha Pucci (Pearl River, NY/Connecticut Polar Bears) and sophomore
Emily Coope (Phoenix, AZ/Colorado Tigers) are in the midst of the best seasons of their careers… Pucci has two goals and seven assists, and has racked up as many points as she did in her first three years combined… She also leads the team with a plus-7 rating on the season… Coope has matched her five-goal output from a year ago, but has added a career-best six assists on the season… She has totaled four points (two goals, two assists) in her last three games.
CLAUSEN CLOSING IN: Head Coach
Dave Clausen needs just one more win to reach the 200-win milestone… He currently holds a career record of 199-139-25, which he has compiled in 14 seasons at UC… Clausen, the only coach in program history, has led the Pioneers to 12 ECAC West Tournament appearances in the previous 13 seasons and has been named the ECAC West Coach of the Year twice… He has coached a school-best four All-Americans including Deana Wiegand (2006-07), Stephanie Price (2006-07),
Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) (2012-13) and Jill Nolan (2005-06).
SCOUTING PLATTSBURGH: The defending national champion Plattsburgh State Cardinals are currently ranked No. 2 in both the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com online polls… They are second in the conference with a 13-2 record in league play… Plattsburgh has six 20-point scorers this season, led by freshman Kayla Meneghin, who has a team-high 17 goals and 21 assists… Utica lost both meetings against Plattsburgh last season.
LOOKING AHEAD: UC wraps up the regular season at Buffalo State next weekend… The Pioneers and Bengals will face each other at 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
--- www.ucpioneers.com ---
